A selection of letters from later-to-be comics professionals.

When I was a teenage cartoonist, my greatest ambition was to make it to the
big time, as a penciler for Teen Titans or X-Men . The next
best thing, though, was to get a fan letter printed in either of those books.
Back then, the letter pages allowed fans to share their thoughts, not only about
the comics but about their own lives. Much like today's online forums, the lettercol
were vibrant communities that made readers like myself feel more connected to
the characters — and creators — we followed each month.

I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that many industry veterans — folks
like Kurt Busiek, Todd McFarlane, and Dave
Sim; and even alt-comix names like Seth, Eric
Reynolds, and James Kochalka — got their start
as "fanboys" too. Over the years, I've put together a sampling of
real letters to comics' mailbags from comics professionals during their amateur
letterhack days. It's turning into quite a long list, and true to my obsessive
tendencies, is both chronlogical and alphabetical. Look for your favorite (or
most hated) creator, and click on their name to find the comment in question.
The letters make for amusing/informative reading, especially given the work
many of these later-to-be pros ended up doing themselves.

The letters are mostly culled from my own collection, as well as a few contributions
from outside sources. So if you've got a letter I don't have, feel free to email
it to me and I'll add it to the collection.